Protein kinases constitute a large family of structurally related enzymes that effect the transfer of a phosphate group from a nucleoside triphosphate to a Ser, Thr or Tyr residue on a protein acceptor. A vast array of cellular functions, including DNA replication, cell cycle progression, energy metabolism, and cell growth and differentiation, are regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation events mediated by protein kinases. Additionally, protein kinase activity has been implicated in a number of diseases, including cancers. Of the >100 dominant oncogenes known to date, many encode receptor and cytoplasmic protein kinases known to be mutated and/or over expressed in human cancers (Blume-Jensen and Hunter, Nature, 411:355-365 (2001)). Accordingly, protein kinase targets have attracted substantial drug discovery efforts in recent years, with several protein kinase inhibitors achieving regulatory approval (reviewed in Fischer, Curr. Med. Chem., 11:1563 (2004); Dancey and Sausville, Nature Rev. Drug Disc., 2:296 (2003)).
The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway is a central signal transduction pathway, which transmits signals from multiple cell surface receptors to transcription factors in the nucleus which regulate gene expression. This pathway is frequently referred to as the MAP kinase pathway as MAPK stands for mitogen-activated protein kinase indicating that this pathway can be stimulated by mitogens, cytokines and growth factors (Steelman et al., Leukemia 2004, 18, 189-218). Depending upon the stimulus and cell type, this pathway can transmit signals, which result in the prevention or induction of apoptosis or cell cycle progression. The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway has been shown to play important roles in cell proliferation and the prevention of apoptosis. Aberrant activation of this pathway is commonly observed in malignantly transformed cells. Amplification of ras proto-oncogenes and activating mutations that lead to the expression of constitutively active Ras proteins are observed in approximately 30% of all human cancers (Stirewalt et al., Blood 2001, 97, 3589-95). Mutated, oncogenic forms of Ras are found in 50% of colon and >90% pancreatic cancers as well as many other types of cancers (Kohl et al., Science 1993, 260, 1834-1837). The effects of Ras on proliferation and tumorigenesis have been documented in immortal cell lines (McCubrey et al., Int J Oncol 1995, 7, 295-310). bRaf mutations have been identified in more than 60% of malignant melanoma (Davies, H et al., Nature 2002, 417, 949-954). Given the high level of mutations that have been detected at Ras, this pathway has always been considered a key target for therapeutic intervention (Chang et al., Leukemia 2003, 17, 1263-93).
As constitutive or overactivation of MAP kinase cascade plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation and differentiation, inhibition of this pathway is believed is to be beneficial in hyperproliferative diseases. MEK is a key player in this pathway as it is downstream of Ras and Raf. Additionally, it is an attractive therapeutic target because the only known substrates of MEK phosphorylation are the MAP kinases, ERK1 and ERK2. Inhibition of MEK has been shown to have potential therapeutic benefit in several studies. For example, small molecule MEK inhibitors have been shown to inhibit human tumor growth in mouse xenografts, (Seebolt-Leopold et. al., Nature-Medicine, 1999 5(7), 810-816; Trachet et al. AACR Apr. 6-10, 2002, Poster & num; 5426) and inhibit growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells (Milella et. al., J. Clin. Invest., 2001, 108 (6) 851-859).
Compounds suitable as MEK inhibitors are also disclosed in WO 00/41994; WO 00/42022; WO 00/42029; WO 00/68201; WO 01/68619; WO 02/06213, WO 03/077914, WO 05/023251, WO 05/121142, WO07/014011, WO 07/071951, WO 07/123939, WO 08/021389, WO 08/078086, WO 08/120004, WO 08/124085, WO 08/125180, WO 09/018233, WO07/044084, WO07/121481, WO 09/018238 and WO10108852.